Mortar Mix - Urgent Help Required

Evergreen

My Mother in law has a holiday home off the Northern coast of Norway (71 degrees north), and her chimney stack is in very poor condition as a result of hard winters and little maintenance.

I have offered to help plaster the stack for her, but materials are scarce up here and I am unsure of the best mix to use.

I have the following items available to me

1. Lots of sand, unwashed, straight from the ground
2. 50kg of cement. Not sure what type, but guess it is the Norwegian equivalent to Portland
3. 5 litres of mortar additive. It recommends dilution to 1:5

I need a mortar that sticks well and can dry quickly, there is no way that I can lay my hands on any builders lime out here.

All help appreciated

cuppa

well i wouldn't use motersiser thats for brickies ,You need waterproofen evostick is a good make.

you want a good sharp plastering sand.

what kind of finish is on it as it is.

Evergreen

The problem is that I am on an island in the North Atlantic and the nearest builders providers is. Two day ferry ride/ car drive away from me.

The materials listed are all that I have available

As regards finish. Currently the wet facing side of the stack has lost all it's plaster, the is bare red brick with holes in it. Finish is not important here, just something to get through the next 5-10 winters will suffice

cuppa

well first you will want to give it a scud coat ,,id even mix pollybond into the scud,to give the sand and cement a good key

then your scratch coat (but you could get away with that) .the chimney could need some suporting bands around it.

but i suppose you will have to make do.but the waterproofing will be missed.

if u have woodglue that will do for the pollybond

Evergreen

I can get about 500ml of wood glue. How much should I be able to mix up with that and what would be the best sand:cement ratio?

Shoul I leave out the mortar additive altogether?

cuppa

For the scud coat u want a watery mix ,a strong mix ,around 1 cement to 2 sand , 1 bucket would do you.put around 1 mug full of woodglue in that.

You could mix that in the bucket with a stick, you probally dont have a dasher to flick it on the wall ,u could use a small coal shoval . wet the wall down with water first and let it soak in ,, especially the red brick cos that will suck in the moisture. make sure you cover the red brick in the scud coat .leave scud coat to dry for 24 hours. next day spicky scud coat should be hard and not crumble when you rub it with your finger.

have you got a cement mixer.

use the mortsiser in your finishing render not in the scud coat

for the next coat mix 1 cement 4 sand and add your mortrizer ,if you have 1 of them small mixers i put in 1 bag of 25kg cement and fill it up with sand ,id put a bit less than half a mug of mortiser in it ,that will give you 1 full barrow.leave it mix for a good while .

wet walls down again ,,i would give the red brick a scratch coat ,and let it set .then finish the lot. be careful up there

bigswede12

Evergreen wrote: »

My Mother in law has a holiday home off the Northern coast of Norway (71 degrees north), and her chimney stack is in very poor condition as a result of hard winters and little maintenance.

I have offered to help plaster the stack for her, but materials are scarce up here and I am unsure of the best mix to use.

I have the following items available to me

1. Lots of sand, unwashed, straight from the ground
2. 50kg of cement. Not sure what type, but guess it is the Norwegian equivalent to Portland
3. 5 litres of mortar additive. It recommends dilution to 1:5

I need a mortar that sticks well and can dry quickly, there is no way that I can lay my hands on any builders lime out here.

All help appreciated

You might wanna cover it with a chimney hat,it insulates it better,and keeps the mortar in place too!!!!

AckwelFoley

The sand needs to be washed, ie get the dirt out of it..

You can gry filling it into a barrow, throwing in alot of water, mixing it around and straining off the water, and repeat.

Then, mix your scud and then 2 coats of plaster.. No lime? Small..and i mean small, like a drop of washing up liquid.. this will make it more workable and stickie.. too mich and it makes the render brittle..

Seriously the most amusing thread ive read in this forum in 4 years.

Best of luck


Tell Santa i want a ps3 for christmas

Carlow52

+1 on the amusement as it seems its the MIL's chimney stack that is at issue. Those long winters:D

My Mother in law has a holiday home off the Northern coast of Norway (71 degrees north), and her chimney stack is in very poor condition as a result of hard winters and little maintenance.

I have offered to help plaster the stack for her, but materials are scarce up here and I am unsure of the best mix to use.

ps the water to wash the sand could 2 days march away also:D